the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged  to us, we went on an outing to 
 the  glass factory  that bore our family 
 name. it  had changed owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned   for  a   long  while. 
 finally,  the natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings  that survive:  a museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long time  since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by  many, we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are two main  factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several floors, made  in 
 yellow brick. large but narrow  windows, 
 reminescent    of     some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of course, large  and 
 leaded, and  ashen. a bit too dark to be 
 practical.  on   the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is  publicly open. there's 
 a museum,  with wax figures of my  great 
 great  great  grandfather, or something. 
 various tools (or replicas)  laid out on 
 tables, with explaining  texts. a lot of 
 glass     of     varying      thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i  quickly sneak out, and climb into the 
 other    building.   the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for  a  long   time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all   over  the  floor.  no 
 electric  lights, but i  can  see by the 
 light  that shines in wherever  the dark 
 windows    are    missing    a     pane. 
                                          
 however, the  greatest difference is the 
 higher floors: this building  has  none. 
 it is one massive hall, stretching  away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron  latticework, from 
 where chains  are  suspended, and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is,  in the  middle of  the  great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral   staircase  that 
 leads  up there. i sneak over there, and 
 take a  few  reluctant steps. after just 
 a revolution,  i  notice that  for  each 
 step  the building  starts to  glow, the 
 bricks  turning a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange, all  the piled  up  debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop ready to  run down  and out,  but 
 there's someone  else on  the  staircase 
 with   me  now,   pressed  close.   he's 
 looking  like  me,  short  hair and thin 
 arms,  but  with ears from some  animal, 
 and more  disturbingly, completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me  in  place  while he 
 starts operating  levers  and dials  set 
 in the center of the  staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning,  circling upwards. 
 it's  an  elevator!   i  start  to   run 
 downwards,   but  now   the  liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs hold  of  me.  i  try to 
 shake  him off, but he's too strong, and 
 pulls    me   back   up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this time,  i  turn angry  instead. what 
 the hell? who  is  this guy, acting like 
 this? i reach out my  free arm  and slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal  bar   is 
 suddenly released  between  us,  hitting 
 him on  the  arm,  forcing my release. i 
 shove  him off  of me, and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a   thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain is  dropped around  me.  but the 
 elevator also  speeds  up significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are  flaring  now,   yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i  close my eyes and 
 curl into  a ball. but  then,  the glass 
 boy  screams,  a   piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes back open. i  watch as he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his  body pooling 
 down  in his  now massive tail,  and the 
 tip of  it suddenly breaks of in a glass 
 drop   that  falls  toward  the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling on  the stairs,  unable to 
 keep  his body upright.  can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls. finally,  he's lost too  much of 
 himself and  the  scream is  cut  short. 
 the   last   of    him    rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach  the  levers from 
 within my  cage.  looking up, i  try  to 
 make  out  the ceiling,  but it's  all a 
 whirling sea of colours. below me  glows 
 the hellfire  of the factory walls,  but 
 very  faint. i sit  down,  curl back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a large clunk  shakes  my  entire  body, 
 and  snaps me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are   still   moving  slightly, 
 clicking in place,  carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and   i  slowly  dismount  the   stairs. 
                                          
 shaking  and crying,  i make my way over 
 the factory  floor,  wading through dark 
 glass marbles. a quick glance down,  and 
 i  see  there's  something  faint inside 
 them.    embryos?   are   these    eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.